


"This is why I don't want to stay anymore."

by allthewayfromatoz



Series: HP Oneshots [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Dissociation, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, One Shot, Yelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24563956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthewayfromatoz/pseuds/allthewayfromatoz
Summary: Draco has a secret to keep from his parents and no way out. But he might have just been thrown a line. Now it's Harry and Draco against, seemingly, everyone else.Content Warnings: Homophobia, Child Abuse, Mental Abuse, Dissociation, Yelling (there will be fluff breaks)
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: HP Oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776613
Comments: 2
Kudos: 109





	"This is why I don't want to stay anymore."

**Author's Note:**

> **Edit as of 1/9/2021:** this sucks. please read a different one-shot of mine. I'm planning on heavily editing this, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it. please just know, this really isn't the best-executed thing, and if you came hoping for a masterpiece you will be sorely disappointed.

Draco looked up to the clock on the opposite side of his room, reading it and seeing it was 6:32 in the afternoon. He bit his lip. He couldn't help but worry. What if Harry had been kidnapped, being held ransom by some street rats? Or taken by the Dark Lord? What if he has gotten lost on his way here? Why on God's green Earth would he be late, even if it was just by two minutes-

"Hey, Dragon!"

Harry cooed at Draco. Draco's face, somber before, now had a wide smile replace the sour expression the moment he saw his boyfriend. He sat up from his bed and sprinted over, nearly knocking Harry over.

Getting enveloped in a hug, Harry immediately wrapped his arms around him, letting Draco snuggle his face into Harry's neck while he wrapped his arm's around his lover's waist.

Draco grabbed Harry's cheeks and smashed their lips together, only lingering a few seconds before pulling away and hastily looking to his left.

Harry followed Draco's gaze to the door and didn't say anything while glancing between it and his secret lover, knowing from the countless times he had snuck in that Draco was checking for Lucius and Narcissa.

Once Draco let out a sigh of relief, Harry knew it was safe to talk. He smiled and tip-toed to pecked Draco on the forehead, cracking a smile out of the man. Draco's palms rested lazily on Harry's cheek while he looked him in the eye,

"I'm sorry I'm so paranoid all the bloody time..."

Harry moved his hands up to Draco's neck and cupped his cheeks,

"It's completely okay. I know what it's like honey. I don't blame you, and I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry I got here late, a letter from Dumbledick stalled me up a bit."

Draco just chuckled and shook his head at the nickname for Dumbledore. He sighed lovingly and kissed Harry again, then rested his forehead against Harry's.

"You can't keep coming through the window...you'll get caught someday..."

"Well, that's someday. This is today."

Draco's face betrayed concern, but he just kissed Harry one more time before taking them both over to the bed.

Draco sat down on top of it cross-legged, while Harry sat in front of him with his legs in a 'W' position and his hands out in front of him.

Draco chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked down at the bed,

"You know, Harry, sometimes I-"

Draco sighed and dropped his perfect posture, grabbing his ankles and gripping them tightly. His lips began to quiver and Harry looked up in alarm. Finally, Draco made eye-contact with Harry and mumbled in a defeated, broken voice,

"Sometimes I wonder if today _is_ that someday."

Draco's body racked with silent tears as Harry's eyes widened, not knowing what to do. Draco covered his mouth with his left hand and shut his eyes, not in a feminine or dainty manner, but in a rather animalistic way, desperate to make sure that his parents in the next room over didn't hear his sobbing.

Harry gently removed Draco's hands from his ankles and into his hands, holding them tenderly and running his thumbs over Draco's knuckles. He scooted closer to Draco and felt Draco drop into him. Harry laid his chin on the sobbing man's shoulder. Softly, he whispered in Draco's ear,

"I'm coming back. I'm always coming back, whether you want me to or not."

Draco chuckled and whispered in Harry's ear,

"There will never be a moment when I don't want you to come back. I promise."

Harry pulled back with clouded eyes, startling Draco. Harry smiled sadly and muttered with a broken voice a statement that shocked and terrified Draco,

"Don't make promises you know you can't keep."

Draco threw his arms around Harry's waist, knocking the wind out of Harry. In a steely, solid voice that was the exact opposite of Harry's just a moment before, he spoke with gritted teeth,

"I don't break my promises."

Harry's shoulder stiffened out of surprise; he had forgotten how important promises were to some people. His had so often been broken.

Draco dragged Harry backward and onto his lap, stretching his legs out. Harry giggled and kissed Draco deeply, putting away his anxieties and worries for then. Draco kissed back rather deeply, cupping Harry's cheeks to deepen it. Harry laid his arms on Draco's shoulders, humming softly. 

The intimate moment came to a gentle close when Harry pulled away and both fluttered their eyelids open, smiling softly and looking into the other's eyes. Harry's ended the silence with,

"So, what are your plans with this place? Stay? Leave?"

Draco cracked a smirk, but it wasn't the usual smug look. It was mischievous, cunning, and honestly, Harry thought it was hot.

"I'm leaving this wretched place once and for all. I just need to wait for the right time. I was able to figure out a spell to shrink all of my essential things in an instant, and all I'll need to do is put them in my bottomless bag and then use the counter-spell once I get to where I'm going."

"And where is that, exactly?"

Draco's face scrunched up and sighed,

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. No inn will have me; I'm well known as the kid with the dark mark. And I can't go to a relative's house for obvious reasons. Hogwarts would be the obvious choice, but that's exactly why I can't go there. And I certainly can't just be on the run; I would endanger wherever I am at any moment. There are no other Malfoy or Black estates to go to, as they're either demolished or owned by the very people I'm trying to get away from..."

Draco contemplated for only a moment before Harry perked up and shook him back and forth. Harry exclaimed,

"Yes, there is! I have a house left to me by Sirius, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and all I would need to do to let you in is add you to the wards! I would hardly say the house would count you as a Malfoy but as a Black! Oh, you could go there!"

Draco seemed hesitant, but Harry only waved it off and excused every worry.

"Is there not anybody else there?"

"The Order of the Phoenix has meetings there, but besides that no."

"And you don't think they would be disturbed to see me there?"

"They would at first, but I can explain it to them."

"Will Voldemort be able to track anyone in the house once I'm there?"

"No, we have very strong wards all over the house."

"Will my parents be able to find me?"

"Narcissa might, but I doubt she would ever think to look there. I'm not even sure she knows it exists."

"But the others won't be...thrilled...with having a Death Eater in there with them..."

Draco subconsciously gripped his left forearm where his Dark Mark lay, looking to the side. Draco felt his hand be removed and his sleeve being pushed up by Harry, who then pecked it softly, just as he had done countless times before. First when Draco had just received it, second when he hid from Harry in fear of hatred, and then third, fourth, fifth, and so on. Harry never broke eye-contact the entire time. Harry responded earnestly with a soft smile,

"I would be."

Draco couldn't fight the smile off of his face and made the decision. Harry lit up when he realized all that was left was to decide a date to run, then his Draco will finally be rid of those horrid parents. Though they never laid a hand on Draco (which he was thankful for; he didn't think he would be able to think logically if they had), Harry had seen the mental and emotional damage Draco endured.

Harry knew.

For once, he was happy he had been stopped from removing his memory that time he had a particularly bad breakdown related to the Dursley's. Because now, now he might be able to help Draco in a way he wasn't sure just anyone would be able to. Harry, following his previous train of thought, spoke up,

"Now we just have to decide a time-"

He was cut off by Draco pouncing on his and kissing him passionately. Adrenaline shot through his body as he shut his eyes and allowed Draco to pull him so he was sitting on Draco's lap. His head tingled from the energy rush, and he hummed lowly into the kiss. The rush in his heart strangely calmed him, reaffirming and reminding him that this was why he did all of the sneaking out and plotting for. This something worth playing dangerously for. Something worth risking his life for. This person, his man, his _lover_ , made him feel safe and excited at the same time, something he had never felt before. This was such a perfect moment, nothing could ever stain this memory, a patch of pure white bliss on the grimy tapestry that was his life.

Until something did.

A small click was heard. Harry's eyes shot open and he suddenly moved his hands to Draco's chest, pushing himself off much more harshly than necessary and off of Draco's lap. 

The concerned, hurt, and shocked expression Draco bore was swept off in less than a second as he too realized what was happening.

The lovers looked at the door with guilt and fear etched into every scar and crease of their faces at the exact moment it opened to show Lucius and Narcissa, mortified.

Lucius' eyes erupted into flames, lava boiling over with anger. His face contorted into a shape one would think only a man as evil as the devil could ever make. His teeth gritted and he snarled harshly, the bars and cage that trapped Draco mirrored in the expression shown on Lucius' face. 

"What is going on!"

Draco stuttered horribly, never making it past the first syllable of a word. Lucius' eyes widened and then darkened as he connected the dots. The volcano erupted,

"Draco! To find you in bed with a boy, Harry Potter no less! You are an ungrateful, absolute piece of shit! Merlin, I can't even stand to look at you. Remember all those times we took care of you, put up with you, fed you! And this is how you thank us?! Turning into a faggot and traitor! Is this why you refused the arrangement we made for you with Pansy?! Because you would rather live as a horrible mistake than redeem yourself?!"

Harry jumped for the other side of the bed, attempting to drag Draco over with him. To his horror, Draco resisted and stayed in the same place. Harry cowered slightly, memories of the Dursely's flooding back in and drowning him. Water in his eyes, he could see the blurry figure of his boyfriend sitting on the opposite side of the bed. 

Draco's back was straight as he starred, no, glared, down at the Dark Mark, the reminder of everything he hated about himself that he knew he would never be able to remove, no matter how hard he tried. Because, trust at least one thing, Draco has tried. Many. Times.

Lucius stomped forward and dragged up Draco's wrist so sharply that Harry wondered if it had broken Draco's wrist. Pressing his thumb into the skin that showed the dark mark, Lucius spat in his son's face,

"THIS! This is who you are! We serve the Dark Lord, and we lead the most virtuous life possible!

The tone of Lucius' words softened slightly,

"Look, Draco, you're my son. Doing this would be leaving the family. Would you ever leave your own family? Why on Merlin's beard would you ever not want to stay anymore?"

Lucius finally caught Draco's eyes. He saw fear, guilt, and hesitance. 

Draco saw the small amount of vulnerability in his father's eyes, the same he had seen many times before. Suddenly, it seemed time had stopped.

Draco remembered all of the times this has happened before. When he had talked slightly to fondly of Cedric Diggory. When he had hesitated in killing Dumbledore. When he refused Pansy. It was an endless cycle in which his father managed to manipulate him into staying. Staying in this awful place that felt more a prison than a home. A place that scared him more than comforted him. A place where he lied more than he ever told the truth. A place where he didn't feel safe. And, he finally realized,

he never would.

He would never find happiness in the same place where he kept on losing it. 

No amount of insincere apologies, guilt-trips, threats, and blackmails could keep him trapped any longer. For he had found a key. Now, 

he just had to hope it fit into the lock. 

The adrenaline and motivation that shot through his body somehow gave him the ability to take his hand out of his father's, a striking shock to the man who wasn't used to being retaliated against. He dove over to the other side of his bed and quickly grabbed the bottomless bag from underneath it then snaked his arm around Harry's waist.

Draco pointed directly at the creature he called father and mother. He looked into Lucius' eyes and said in resolve, hoping it was the last words he would ever exchange with that horrible man,

"This is why I don't want to stay."

Draco kissed Harry quickly and grabbed his wand from the nightstand, raising it in the air and shutting his eyes tight as they twisted for a moment, sensing location after location flash past them.

Harry squeezed into his lover and tucked his face in the crook of Draco's neck, hoping of all hope that this would all be over soon.

They appeared in front of a shabby looking building, and Draco was able to get some air into his lungs for what felt like the first time in millennia. Harry didn't move a muscle, hyperventilating and whimpering into Draco's ear. Draco tried to cover his intense concern but failed miserably.

"Darling, darling. Dearest, we made it."

He tried to bring Harry's head up to look at him, but Harry only resisted, pushing farther into Draco's body.

Draco needed to get help immediately.

Looking up, he only saw an 11 and 13 building. Figuring it was like platform 9 3/4, he braced himself for impact. 

He ran into the space between the building. If his theory was wrong...well...he didn't have time to think about that.

Luckily, he felt a small tingling sensation go through him as he crossed the magical border with Harry's body limping behind him.

Hoping for the best, he went to open the door and anticipated some sort of hex to go through him. There was nothing.

He ran down the hallway and into the living area with Harry, unknowingly shocking and frightening the Order members that were having a meeting in the dining area.

Sitting Harry down onto the couch, still oblivious to the crowd in the kitchen that was spying on them, he sat down and faced Harry, wrapping his arms around him. Then he went to pull back, remembering how he hated being touched when he had moments like these, only to be surprisingly pulled back into Harry's arms.

He soothed Harry by rubbing his back and drawing circles into it lightly, talking into the shivering man's ear.

"We're out of there, we got away. We're safe. We're safe now. We're in Grimmauld Place, he can't find us here. My father can't hurt us here. We're safe. Dearest, we're safe."

Draco's voice cracked on the last word, tears dripping down in relief. Harry's eyes seemed to focus just the slightest bit more, and he pulled back to look into Draco's eyes. He placed a soft, lazy peck to Draco's lips. He whispered with no emotion,

"Thank you, Dragon."

Draco, in contrast, responded in an airy and sweet tone,

"Anytime, my darling dearest."

They sat, looking into each other's eyes.

Somebody cleared their throat, and Draco looked to see the entire Order, along with Ron and Hermione, in the kitchen, looking at them. Some looked horrified, others shocked, others appalled, still others just plain confused.

Harry was still blank and unresponsive while Draco kept his eyes up, swearing to himself not to be deterred so quickly after the victory he had just won. Remus stepped forward, the first to talk,

"How did you get in here?"

Draco answered slightly confused,

"Through the door...?"

Ron rolled his eyes, and spat exasperated,

"He means past all of the wards. You can't possibly be that smart, Malfoy."

Draco flinched slightly at the use of the name he hated with a burning passion, and the tone he knew too well, mustering up an explanation,

"This house is a Black estate. I'm a Black."

Scoffing, Ron rebutted,

"No, you're a Malfoy."

Unable to control it, Draco let out a disbelieving laugh with a slightly hysterical edge,

"Hardly! It's an honest to god surprise that my parents haven't already disowned me yet in the 5 minutes it's been since we escaped. That aside, I carry the Black lineage. My mother was a Black, as am I."

The silence was unbearably loud, fuzzing up everybody's mind. A bit too accustomed to atmospheres like this, Draco clapped his hands together and stood up, choosing to ignore the tension.

"Well,"

he started,

"It's been a pleasure, but you guys probably have important Order of the Phoenix business to attend to, so I'm going to take Harry upstairs and take care of that."

He looked towards Harry--who was hardly registering what was happening--and took his hand, leading his boyfriend up the steps. Hermione called out once they were halfway up the stairway,

"Hey! We're Harry's best friends, you hardly know him! We'll take care of him!"

Of course, she knew she was lying; Harry wasn't one to hug and kiss somebody that 'hardly knew him'. Draco let out a tired sigh, looking Hermione dead in the eye. He gave up, letting all of his vulnerability show. He said,

"Look, Harry and I have had a fairly hectic day, okay? Can you stop being my enemy for 5 seconds and focus on more important matters?"

Nobody said anything, and Draco took that as them allowing him to leave. He walked with Harry, who looked scared once again. Draco stopped 3/4ths of the way up the steps where they were hidden from the view of others and looked at Harry, repeating himself calmly,

"We're safe. You're safe. You're safe because you're with people who love you. Professor Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ron,"

He took Harry's other hand,

"Me..."

Harry didn't respond. Draco just sighed and kissed Harry's forehead, pulling him up the stairs and into the bedroom he assumed was Harry's.

Draco tenderly undressed Harry to change him into pajamas, trying his best in this odd circumstance to not look, and respect his boyfriend's privacy. Once Harry was in pajamas, Draco laid him on the bed and placed the cover over him.

After a bit of contemplating, he climbed into the bed with Harry, partly from not knowing where else to go, partly from wanting to delay talking to the others for as long as possible, partly from exhaustion, mostly from not wanting to leave Harry alone in this state. Just as he was drifting off, he felt an arm wrap around him and smiled.

*******

When Harry woke up the following morning, he was met by his lover's sleeping face. Smiling, he stopped a moment to adore it. Draco's hair was slightly askew, as the gel from the day before was wearing off. There were a few tears stains on his cheeks, but the red in his cheeks had calmed down. 

His lips were slightly parted, showing off his remarkably white teeth. They were naturally slightly crooked, but also from the years of grinding them together. Harry thought they were the most adorable thing ever. The first time he had truly seen Draco smile, the boy had hastened to cover his mouth. But Harry had moved Draco's hand out of the way, regretting every opportunity he had squandered before to see it. The memory soothed Harry, knowing Draco was now much more comfortable with his fantastic smile.

Deciding he could no longer delay the inevitable by sinking himself into memory and nostalgia, he placed a kiss on Draco's nose softly, watching Draco's eyes flutter open and turn up in joy once he smiled at the beautiful sight before him. Draco reached out his arm and ruffled Harry's hair, smiling once Harry chuckled.

They kissed, ignoring the disgusting morning breath.

They both sat up in the bed, sighing at the same time, adding a slightly comical air.

"So..."

Draco looked at Harry with a goofy and hopeful smile,

"How ya' feeling?"

Harry let out a mixture or a giggle and sigh, answering sincerely,

"Much better."

Draco smiled and moved position, motioning for Harry to lay on his lap. Harry crawled over and laid his head on Draco's lap, relaxing his body onto the mattress.

Draco looked down at Harry and began to play with the man's hair.

This calmed Harry down a bit, and he leaned into Draco's touch. Humming sweetly he shut his eyes and let the corners of his mouth turn up.

Draco didn't want to ruin this moment. After all, 'The Chosen One' probably wouldn't have these as often, it at all, once the war truly began. But, he had to.

"So... what are we going to tell the others? They will be meeting again tonight, in case you didn't know."

Harry didn't open his eyes, but his brows furrowed. He frowned and crossed his arms, pouting,

"It seems so simple, 'Hey, Draco's gonna be stayin' here a while', but it's not."

Harry sighed, opening his eyes to look at Draco.

"Why can't it just be simple, for once?"

Humming in agreement, Draco kept playing with Harry's hair. Even though this probably wasn't the best time, he knew that no time would ever be a good time. So, he diverted the conversation and asked directly,

"What happened yesterday?"

Harry looked to the side and decided to play dumb,

"I came through your window, your parents caught us, you escaped and dragged me along with you, we got here, and everyone was surprised."

Draco sighed,

"Harry." Harry conceded, finally answering,

"I dissociated. It's basically when...um...it's really hard to explain-"

"You don't have to darling. I understand. But why?"

"Dursleys."

Harry sat up, facing away from Draco. When he turned around, he saw Draco's look of understanding. He truly understood. He didn't pity Harry; he understood. He understood that it's inexplicable and confusing, and out of control.

Harry smiled and thanked Draco by hugging him. When they separated, Harry hopped off the bed and held his hand out to take, When he felt Draco's hand fall into his, he squeezed tightly, then felt a squeeze back. 

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Just egg and toast. I don't have much of an appetite. You?"

"Well, I'm starving. Anxiety spikes are very energy-consuming."

Draco chuckled at the slightly morbid comment and responded,

"Really? For me it's the opposite; I can't even fathom eating anything whenever my anxiety messes with me."

They walked hand in hand downstairs to the kitchen. They joked and giggled, bumping each other's hips while cooking using the muggle method. 

As Harry sat down to eat, he was already thinking about domestic life with Draco. If this was what it was like, sign him the fuck up.

They ate their breakfast quietly on the couch, holding each other's hands and just enjoying their lover's company. Once they finished, they went upstairs and took turns taking a nice, warm, relaxing shower. 

They cuddled on the couch for a long while, staying silent and letting the other's presence ward off the negative and venomous thoughts trying to make their way into the two lovers' conscience.

*******

At 6:30 that night, the couple begrudgingly got up off of the couch to go make themselves' look presentable and clean the house up a bit before the Order Of The Phoenix meeting.

As they cleaned the dishes from the meals earlier that day, they pitched each other ideas for how to explain this whole situation to the Order. 

"Maybe we should start the meeting off with talking about it?"

"I don't suggest it, they have more pressing matters to discuss than our relationship status."

"But knowing them, they won't be able to get anything done and focus on said 'pressing matters' if they're more worried about us."

"Well, they shouldn't be too preoccupied with the relationship between two teenage boys anyway..."

"Draco, you don't know them. They are nosy as fuck."

That coaxed a hearty laugh out of Draco, easing the tone of the room and calming them both. Harry bit his lip, knowing Draco wasn't going to like what he was about to say,

"I know what your answer is going to be-"

"Then why say it?"

"Because we need to discuss it anyway."

Draco turned the faucet off and turns to Harry, 

"What was the question?"

Harry's face betrayed anxiety as he sheepishly offered,

"Why don't we just be upfront about it? Tell them the whole truth?"

Draco's eye's widened and he furiously shook his head,

"No. Nononononono. We are not about to just 'be upfront' about it. Harry, we need to do this right. If they kick me out..."

Draco looked down at the suds in the sink and he simply shook his head,

"We can't risk that possibility. For more reasons than just my safety."

Draco turned the tap back on and the faucet began spewing out water again, signifying the shut down to Harry's proposal. Harry humphed and then finished up the rest of his share of the dishes.

He knew Draco didn't want to talk about it; trust me, he knew. But this was a unique occasion, and they didn't have time for beating around the bush. It's not like Draco had to go into graphic detail, he just needed to give a reason the others would accept. 

The doorbell rang just as Draco set down the last plate onto the drying rack. He quickly dried his hands on a towel and scurried over to the door as quickly as possible.

He opened it up and smiled at Ron and Hermione, who were standing there surprised. He wasn't exactly sure why; they knew he was here. They had seen him yesterday. He smiled awkwardly and welcomed,

"Hey! Um...Harry's in the kitchen washing some dishes."

Ron snipped,

"Could you not get your pretty little hands dirty?"

On impulse, Draco pointed back,

"Could you not be bothered to think of a good insult?"

Draco immediately bit the inside of his cheek, wishing he would have just swallowed those words. He gulped and muttered,

"Sorry. You insult was actually quite good,"

Draco chuckled slightly,

"Come inside."

Ron and Hermione looked as if they had seen a pig do a barrel roll in the sky as they stepped into the house, and Harry turned from the dishes. 

"Thanks for helping out Draco, I finished up the rest and wiped down the counter a bit. Hey, what's up with them?"

Harry pointed at his best friends' standing in the living room, and Draco answered smoothly,

"Oh, they're just flabbergasted at the fact that I have to ability to say the word 'sorry'."

Harry gasped dramatically and brought his hand to his chest,

"You do?!"

Draco scoffed with a roll of his eyes. Harry retorted,

"Shut up, _Malfoy_."

Harry, not missing a beat, teased back,

"Screw you, _Potter_."

"Not in front of others~"

Draco tried to stutter out an answer with blazing cheeks but fails miserably.

Harry only smirked and giggled at his boyfriend and friend's expressions, who were both appalled by Harry's comment. 

Remus, Dumbledore, along with Mrs. and Mr. Weasley walked through the door to a red-faced Draco and a Ron and Hermione that looked scarred for life. They looked towards Harry who just shrugged his shoulders smugly. Draco sputtered,

"D-d-don't just,"

Draco shrugged his shoulder,

"them! You know very well what you did!"

"Whatever could you mean, Draco?"

Harry looked at Draco with big innocent eyes, challenging him to say it in front of the adults. Draco sensed it and glared at Harry playfully.

"You win this time. But you better not act that way in front of anyone else. Dear Merlin, you've scarred Weasely and Granger, and that's two too many."

Hermione piped up in the background,

"I agree whole-heartedly. Now can we please proceed with the meeting?"

"Please?"

Harry just laughed. They all left the kitchen into the living room, and Draco began to walk up the stairs. Harry asked,

"Why are you leaving?"

Draco explained, ignoring the entire room watching,

"Well, assuming that you will be discussing matters pertaining to the Order, I will not be listening?"

"Why not?"

"I'm not a member of the order, Harry. Isn't it obvious?"

Before Harry could so much as get a breath in, Hemione retorted for him,

"No, we're not. We will be discussing what the fuck is going on between you and Harry! And why you're here!"

Draco replied plainly,

"We're dating."

"Well yes, I can see that!"

"Well, that's all there is to it-"

"Clearly not!"

Draco was getting antsy while Hermione was getting exasperated, and Harry just stood there awkwardly. He gulped, 

"Well, um,"

Harry looked over at Draco who was fidgeting and shivering, he was practically vibrating for God's sake.

Harry chanced a peek at Dumbledore and saw him peering through his spectacles at Harry. Harry quickly averted his eyes in fear he would make eye-contact. After what happened the day before, Harry didn't need to be thinking of Dumbledore.

"He had to get out of the house because of...of um...reasons..."

Draco looked terrified but relaxed slightly when Harry didn't say why.

"And I decided that he could come here."

A few people opened their mouths' to talk, but Harry interrupted,

"It is technically my estate even though you guys meet here, so I get to decide who stays and who leaves. And Draco,"

Harry grasped Draco's hand,

"Is staying."

He smiled at the group then at Draco, who was smiling back. 

"Any questions?"

"Yes,"

Remus began,

"How do we know he isn't spying?"

Harry's face screwed up as he tried to think of a way to explain to them without bringing up Lucius and Narcissa. Finally, he just answered simply,

"I just do. I know him wel-"

"That's what I thought about _my_ best friend too. And look how Peter Pettigrew turned out."

A silence fell over the room. Despite it, Remus continues,

"Harry, we can't afford anyone leaking any information. I'm sorry."

Harry stared in horror and disappointment as shock rushed through veins. Harry looked desperately and the rest of everyone there, looking for some sort of support. Looking at Hermione and Ron, he was only met with guilty looks. He let out a breath of astonishment, coming to the reality that this was really happening. His friends and family were really doing this. 

He felt Draco's grip loosen and eventually fall away. Hastily and desperately, he hurried and caught Draco's wrist write before he disappeared behind the staircase where nobody would be able to see them.

"Darling, wait-"

Draco smiled wide and failed at his miserable excuse of an attempt at being sincere,

"No no, it's fine. It's fine! I'll just go somewhere else. I understand. It's totally okay!"

"But you said yourself there was nowhere else to go but here. Where are you supposed to go?"

Draco paused before continuing in a slightly more hysterical tone,

"Oh, you know, somewhere."

"Like where,"

Harry challenged.

"Oh, like the..."

Draco trailed off, not being able to think of anywhere he could go without the chances of him being killed being higher than what he would like it to be.

His facade cracked and his smile twitched, sending shivers down Harry's spine. He had seen this side of his boyfriend before and hated it to the core of his very being. 

"Draco, I-"

"I have a proposition."

The sound of Dumbledore's voice caused everyone to snap their heads towards him. He stroked his beard and squinted at Draco's pleading eyes.

"We let you stay here. Once you have completed a task."

Draco's eyes widened and Harry gritted his teeth, which only worried Draco more. He had heard Harry's rants on Dumbledore--or Dumbledick, as Harry liked to call the man, among other colorful nicknames.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he continued,

"You will spy on your family for us. And once you are done, you can return here for safety."

Draco felt his chest constrict and his stomach turn into a tight knot. He tried to get air in, but his chest just wouldn't let him. His mind and vision went hazy and he felt himself lose his balance. He stumbled a bit and grasped his head and hair, trying to steady himself. 

Harry jumped up and took hold of Draco in case the boy fell. 

Dumbledore mused at the situation before him, expecting the reaction and not being nearly as shocked as everyone else. 

Draco just stared down at the ground as he grasped onto Harry and shook his head back and forth hysterically,

"nonononononononononono i cant go back harry i cant go back harry dont let them send me back please please please harry dont let them i dont think i can survive another day in there please please not my parents anything but my parents please dont let them please harry im begging please please please harry please-"

Draco continued nonsensically rambling nothings. Unlike the rest of the Order, who was distraught from looking at the break down happening right before their eyes, Dumbledore raised his hand.

"I know it is frightening, but it's for the greater goo-"

"Shut the fuck up with your 'greater good' bullshit."

Everyone widened their eyes at Harry as he stood in front of Draco protectively and stared bullets at Dumbledore. Dumbledore blinked a few times in surprise. Harry didn't bother explaining and swiftly turned around. He looked to Draco with sincerity in his voice and eyes,

"You won't have to go back. I know what it's like and I promise that you won't have to go back."

"Don't make promises you know you can't keep."

Harry looked Draco in the eye and mirrored Draco's statement from the day before but with a smile this time,

"I don't break my promises."

Draco calmed down and his breathing went back to normal. He sheepishly smiled and awkwardly turned to look at everyone else as he hurried down the stairs with Harry in tow.

"Hey...sorry for all of that..."

Mrs. Weasley paid no mind to Draco and turned her attention towards Harry,

"Young man, you swore at your professor, your headmaster...Dumbledore! Now you have some 'splainin' to do or you'll be sent to your room."

Even though this was Harry's house, nobody questioned Mrs. Weasley's authority. Harry, not exactly wanting to reveal to a room of people the abuse the Dursleys put him through, mumbled out,

"Just because he's a 'good guy',"

Harry put air quotes up,

"doesn't mean I have to like him."

Hermione chimed in,

"But you've always liked him. You're his teacher's pet!"

Harry rolled his eyes,

"Again, just because I cooperate with him doesn't mean I like him!"

"Harry, what did I do wrong?"

He whipped around on his heel to face Dumbledore, and the gaze in Harry's eye was rotten. It could have killed a man. He forgot all about stupid things like dignity or respect and snapped.

"What did you wrong? What did you do wrong?! You left me at the Dursley's knowing full well all of the things they did to me! You did nothing! In fact, you did worse than nothing! You're the one that left me there in the first place!"

"But Harry, you must understand, it was for the greater good-"

"I've heard your 'greater good' mantra millions of times, I don't need to hear it again. Was it for the 'greater good' that you just left Sirius in Azkaban to waste away? I could have lived with him!"

"But then you would have grown up in the Wizarding World and everyone wou-"

"Yes. Everyone would know me. I know. I've heard you millions of times. And not even talking about how you expect me to fight a fucking war! Yes, I know, prophecy and bullshit like that, but how could you think that was a good idea! I can't be yelled at without getting an anxiety attack, thanks to the Dursley's!"

Harry paused his yelling for a moment and his breath hitched. Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes and his voice began to shake, but he refused to cry in front of Dumbledore.

"The Dursley's hit me, and yell at me, and scold me, and punch me, and choke me, and you still say it's for the greater good? I lived in the cupboard under the stairs until I was 12. I had to run away when I was 13 out of fear of what they would do to me. I saved their son from a dementor's kiss and all I got was yelled at! I almost got hit with a frying pan multiple times! They would deny me food for days, weeks, and you knew! You knew about it! I-"

Harry pulled his hands close to his chest and gripped his fingers around his wand subconsciously as he felt a single tear drip down his cheek. His voice went even shakier than before as he spoke in a broken whisper,

"I almost wiped my memory. Did you know that? I had a breakdown over the Dursleys that was so bad, I was about to wipe my memory. All my friends, my family, my teachers, all gone just to get rid of the Dursleys. That's how badly I hated living there. Ron stopped me, but imagine if I did? Wipe my memory?"

Harry paused. He finished, exhausted,

"I would probably be happier."

Draco walked up behind Harry and hugged him, which Harry accepted by turning around and burying his face into Draco's neck and away from the others' prying eyes. His face screwed up as he tried his hardest not to break down in front of the people he cared most about. Draco shot a quick glare towards Dumbledore before leading Harry up the stairs. 

The second they were out of view of everyone, Harry let out a cry. He started sobbing, right then and there on the staircase. Draco led them up to the bedroom they had used the previous night and set Harry down on the bed. Harry cried harder that night than he had ever cried before, and Draco just held him and told him that it was okay. It was okay to cry, to be mad, to be sad, to let out emotion, because,

"I'll be here. And when I'm not I'll come back. Whether you want me to or not."

* * *

Back downstairs, everyone tried their hardest to continue with business as usual, ignoring the hideous sobs they heard from the upstairs bedroom. It seemed he wouldn't stop crying, and whenever it seemed his tears died down a bit, it only launched again at full force.

Nobody could just...focus! Not with the sound of Harry, their _family_ , sobbing in the background.

Hermione was thinking long and hard.

How could Dumbledore have done that? When did that break down happen? How did Ron handle it? How did _Harry_ handle it? She knew he didn't like his aunt and uncle, but dear Merlin how did she not know it was _this_ bad?

Never for a second did she ever think to doubt Harry. He wouldn't lie about something as serious as this. And those tears were real. That horror was real. That was real.

After deliberation and a painfully tense room, Hermione set her pencil down forcefully, catching everyone's attention.

"Are we just going to ignore it?"

Everyone averted their eyes and tried their hardest to ignore the next round of muffled crying from upstairs. A faint apology, followed by reassurance, was heard, presumably from Harry and Draco respectively.

"Are we just going to ignore Draco going into hysterics? Are we just going to ignore how they are together? Are we just going to ignore Harry having a breakdown? Are we just going to ignore the literal sobs upstairs?!"

Mrs. Weasley looked towards her son, and Ron just stood by Hermione. He continued for Hermione,

"I'm not gonna give some long story since it's not my story to tell, but Harry almost wiping his memory is true. I found him in the dorm room alone sitting on his bed, wand in hand. He was really about to do it..."

Remus looked up,

"How did you talk him out of it?"

Ron bit the inside of his cheek and furrowed his eyebrows,

"That's the thing. I didn't. I just took his wand until he calmed down. Which took a bit of time, by the way. I never asked why or if he was better, I just made sure he didn't do it. He ignored it ever happened and I didn't want to push him...so I also ignored it...I'm sorry..."

Mrs. Weasley smiled proudly and put her hands to her chest,

"Oh Ronald, you have nothing to be sorry for. You did the best you could. You saved him."

Ron smiled slightly, which Hermione didn't miss. She turned back,

"Guys...he _isn't okay_."

Ron looked somberly at Remus, his parents, and arguable most importantly, Dumbledore. He shook his head and asked,

"Did youknow? Did you leave him there, even though you knew?"

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to lose their twinkle, and he simply answered gravely,

"Yes."

Ron shook his head in disbelief as he got up out of the chair and put his hands up as if in surrender. The screech of wood against wood pained everyone's ears, and he stepped out of the room. Hermione quickly followed.

Mrs. Weasely looked at Dumbledore is disbelief. This man put her son in harm's way for the 'greater good'?! No wonder he looked so distraught at her scolding the boys after using the car without permission. Her eyes widened, and suddenly so many things clicked.

How he had tried his hardest to walk as quietly as possible whenever in her house, how he was always just so thin after breaks, how ecstatic he had been at the love of their family, only allowing some people to touch him, and the flinching, oh Merlin the flinching! She had always thought Harry was being polite and well-behaved when he always insisted on doing the chores, but now she knew better.

She sent a look to Mr. Weasley, who instantly made a face of realization. His shoulders dropped and he took the hand of his lover, who pulled him into the room with Ron and Hermione in it, wanting to see if any of the others noticed the same things.

It was only Remus and Dumbledore left. Remus looked over at Dumbledore and asked defeated,

"Why _did_ you leave Sirius in Azkaban, all those years. You saved me, why not him? There's no way you didn't know about his innocence."

Remus tried his hardest to keep his voice steady,

"You made me lose all three of my friends in one night. Why?"

Dumbledore just looked back.

Remus shook his head and sighed in disbelief,

"'The greater good'. Right. Forgot about that part."

Remus balled up his fist, held his head high, and strode out of the room, leaving Dumbledore all alone.

*******

Draco woke up the next day curled around Harry. He was quite drowsy from staying up late with Harry, listening to his babbling and crying. He also didn't regret it one bit.

He carefully got up from around Harry the best he could without disturbing him and started the day. It was late, about 9:30, but he wanted Harry to sleep as much as possible.

He walked over to his luggage and to unpack them, but then noticed the filthiness of the room. He opted to start the cleaning process instead.

Luckily, he wasn't underage, so he could do it all with magic without the Trace being put on him, which he thanked Merlin for. Of course, he didn't hold a vendetta against muggles anymore, but the idea of getting down on his hands and knees to scrub the floor still wasn't an appealing one.

He began to swish his wand around; removing dust, polishing wood, disposing of bugs, all sorts. He tried to stay as quiet as possible through this whole ordeal.

Once satisfied, he used a quick charm to place all of his clothed neatly in the drawer and then headed downstairs to start breakfast.

A few minutes later, Harry woke up. He went to turn around and snuggle back into Draco, then realized that Draco wasn't there.

His eyes widened and he shot up, hyperventilating as he looked around the room for Draco. He didn't see him.

He curled up into a ball, under the impression that Draco had left.

Of course, he had left. Why would he put up with all of Harry's emotions? He should have known better than to believe Draco would stay, but he had really thought...

Draco finished breakfast and resolved to check up on Harry, see if he was awake.

As he walked up the stairs, he thought he could hear faint sniffles. He quickened his pace and made his way to their shared room, seeing Harry curled up on the bed.

Draco rushed to his boyfriend's side and tapped him on the shoulder, startling Harry.

Harry threw his arms around Draco's neck and hugged tightly, confusing Draco. He hugged back nonetheless.

"Ha-Harry, are you okay?"

Harry just sniffled and smiled,

"I thought you had left!"

Draco half-smiled,

"What?! No! Now, why would think that."

Harry kinda looked down, a bit embarrassed,

"You weren't here when I woke up. Now that I think about it, it's kinda stupid."

Draco pulled back and just smiled,

"It's not stupid. Everything had been rather crazy as of late. Now come on, I made breakfast for both of us."

Draco pulled Harry out of the bed and down the steps to the kitchen, where the sun peaked in through the slits in the blinds.

As they sat down, Harry's eyes widened,

"Draco! Today's Saturday!"

"Yes...?"

"The Order has their meeting at 12:00 instead of 7:00 today!"

"Oh shit!"

"What time is it?"

Draco checked his watch,

"11:32!"

The pair rushed around the room, getting themselves' ready and presentable for when their guests arrived.

*******

Harry and Draco sat in the living room with the other members of the Order. But Harry quickly noticed something was off.

"Where's Dumbledore?"

Everyone else looked away, causing Harry to subconsciously scoot a little closer to his lover. Hermione answered for everyone,

"He's not coming today."

"Was it because of what I did yesterda-"

"No. We asked him not to come. Specifically,"

Hermione looked to a certain red-haired woman,

"Molly asked him not to come. In a very...polite fashion. Totally polite."

Harry locked eyes with the woman he had come to accept as his mother, and his eyes widened,

"You asked him not to come?"

Harry could see Molly was trying to choose her words carefully, holding back,

"Yes, dear. That man did some...bad things, and I thought it would do us all some good if we could...hold a discussion without him here."

Harry smiled softly and leaned into Draco, sighing.

"So...do we _have_ to talk about yesterday,"

He asked to no one in particular.

Draco leaned back onto Harry and replied for everyone,

"Probably. We can't just _not_ talk about it for...forever."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Harry's mouth pressed into a line.

He fully leaned into Draco, and while in any other situation Draco would probably have pushed Harry off, but not now.

"Are you okay explaining with me? I know you...y'know...were like that as well, and I don't think I'll be able to explain it to them well."

Draco silently nodded and wrapped an arm around Harry. He encouragingly smiled down at his lover, only to get a disheartened frown. Harry snuggled into Draco's body even more.

"So...Draco and I are dating..."

He looked to Draco,

"Wanna tell them?"

Draco chuckled a bit,

"What, how we finally stopped hating each other?"

Harry nodded. Draco laughed breathily,

"Oh god, really?"

Harry straightened out his body,

"So, we were in the bathroom, right? Just the two of us. About to have a duel."

"Please don't make it sound like that."

"Whatever do you mean? Anyway, there he was, brooding in the mirror, being all dramatic, but he sees me in the mirror looking at him."

"Yeah, 'cause you were stalking me. Literally obsessed."

"Stop being so mean, I was not stalking you to be creepy. I just thought you were up to no good. And look, I was right."

Ron jumped in,

"Merlin, please don't tell me this was in 6th year."

The only response was a chuckle from Draco and a scoff from Harry,

"Yes, it was, but that's beside the point. Anyway, he sees me in the mirror, and I try to use some spell that I didn't know what it did."

"Yeah, you absolute idiot. And when we tested it later, it sliced up the apple. You almost sliced me up!"

"I will admit that I was stupid, and probably still am, but whatever. Luckily, I missed, but then in my ever empathetic nature, I realized that he looked like complete and utter shit."

Draco rolled his eyes with a scoff and smirked,

"You weren't looking too hot either, _Pottah_."

Harry tossed back,

"Whatever you say, _Malfoy_."

Hermione rolled her eyes and tried to hide a smile,

"Okay guys, I know you guys are a couple, but please stop doing your weird version of flirting and finish explaining."

"Okay okay, I'll stop. So, we became friends. And then a little bit more, and then we started dating. But it wasn't...safe to go public with our relationship. If we did, it would basically be putting a target on our heads. Well, only on his I guess, cause I already have one. Whatever. Anyway, I needed a way out of the Dursley's house, and he needed a way out of his house, so we planned to come here together. We had to run sooner than we expected, hence the chaos, but now we're out and that's all the matters. Would anyone like some tea?"

Draco held Harry tighter when he had tried to get up, pulling him back down. 

"That's not the full story~"

"Stop being right."

"Never."

Ron cut in,

"Since Harry doesn't want to talk about it, maybe Draco can go first?"

Draco's breath audibly hitched. Harry could feel Draco's heartbeat speed up. He was about to say something when Draco took a deep breath and subconsciously pulled Harry in a bit closer. 

"Alright. So, my parents weren't exactly...fun. Being there was...stifling. I had to stay in a certain mold they had for me. I guess they thought I would turn out how they wanted if they didn't let me try anything different."

Draco laughed breathily and looked down at his boyfriend with love in his eyes,

"That didn't work."

Every chuckled lightly.

"It was getting to be too much. Everything they wanted me to be was...impossible. They made me do things I didn't want to do, and I had to listen. I had to follow."

Ron furrowed his eyebrows,

"Why didn't you just...leave?"

Draco got defensive,

"It's not as simple as 'just leave'. There was nowhere that would have me, and there was nowhere I could go that my parents--and eventually the other Death Eaters--wouldn't eventually find me. And it was my home. I couldn't just leave home."

"But they were mean to you-"

"But they were also nice to me...sometimes..."

Draco looked down and got quieter as he spoke. 

"And like I said: who would have me? Based upon your guys' reactions, my worries weren't ridiculous or unfounded. Besides, they didn't beat me or anything."

"So why did you freak out when Dumbledore said you should go back?"

Harry gave Ron a look. Draco's head shot up with desperation, 

"You don't understand what it was like! They played with my mind, insisted I was in debt to them for existing! 'Told me what to think, how to act, what to say, and if I didn't follow to a tee...well, to them that was the worst thing possible...imagine not having any free will..."

Draco perked up,

"Harry, I have an idea. But I think you should leave the room. Don't worry, I'll be right out after you."

Harry gave Draco a worried side-eye, but Draco just smiled and nodded. He watched as Harry left the living room.

Once Harry was gone, he grabbed his wand and muttered a spell no one else could hear with his eyes closed in concentration.

A silver wisp of hair left his head. He pointed his wand forward and cast a spell,

"Exsto imajini."

He pocketed his wand and went to walk out and follow Harry, but stopped in the doorway and turned back to say,

"Fair warning, there will be shouting. And some pretty nasty words..."

He swiftly left and went to where Harry was sitting on the floor against the wall. He slid down and took the hand of his lover, who looked up and smiled tiredly. He pecked Draco's lips and leaned on him, where they sat in silence until they got called back in.

**~*~*~**

Back in the room, an image began to materialize before them, from a first-person perspective. The view moved around wildly in between a Harry sitting on the bed, looking frightened, and a seething Lucius Malfoy.

_Lucius' eyes widened and he began to yell,_

_"Draco! To find you in bed with a boy, Harry Potter no less! You are an ungrateful, absolute piece of shit! Merlin, I can't even stand to look at you. Remember all those times we took care of you, put up with you, fed you! And this is how you thank us?! Turning into a faggot and traitor! Is this why you refused the arrangement we made for you with Pansy?! Because you would rather live as a horrible mistake than redeem yourself?!"_

Hermione gripped on tighter to Ron's arm, and Molly brought her hand to her heart. 

The screen looked down at an arm--Draco's left arm--with the Dark Mark permanently inked there. Remus silently gasped when he noticed the scratches and scars covering the mark, all old and a slightly different color from his normal skin tone. 

The view launched up jerkily and shook as Lucius spat in Draco's face,

_"THIS! This is who you are! We serve the Dark Lord, and we lead the most virtuous life possible!_

Everyone was shocked when the tone of Lucius' words softened slightly,

_"Look, Draco, you're my son. Doing this would be leaving the family. Would you ever leave your own family? Why on Merlin's beard would you ever not want to stay anymore?"_

Their minds slipped, and they began to wonder, is this really that bad? This must be normal for him, it can't be too bad. They had fallen into the same trap Lucius had set for his own son. 

They all watched as Draco dove away and grabbed Harry's shaking body, along with a bag and his wand. 

It felt as those it was coming from their own bodies, the vibrating in their chest as the steely, unmovable voice declared as he pointed to his parents,

"This is why I don't want to stay anymore."

It went black as Draco shut his eyes tight, then the magical screen disappeared. 

Everyone sat in shock at what they had seen. Hermione shook her head, and voice what she hopes everyone else was also thinking,

"He was messing with my mind. Like Malfoy said..."

Molly whispered,

"Was that common for him? Oh, the poor boy, how often did that happen? Dear Merlin, and to think Dumbledore almost sent him back there..."

Arthur held his wife as he finished her thought,

"No wonder he had gone into hysterics..."

Remus got up from the couch and went out into the hallway where Draco and Harry were sitting. He tapped Harry lightly on the shoulder but pulled back when the boy flinched. 

"You can come back now. It's finished."

They stood up and held hands as they walked back into the room in silence. Nobody spoke. The only sound that could be heard was that of the wind outside. Molly finally spoke,

"If it is any consolation, we won't be sending you back there. You don't owe them anything, and you're not abandoning them by leaving. You're saving yourself, and that is an incredibly brave thing to do."

Draco gripped Harry's hand tighter and covered his mouth as he began to cry. Ron's eyes widened and he fidgeted a bit, not knowing what to do. This seemed to be the general mood.

"I'm sorry, I just-...nobody's ever told me that...I've been feeling so guilty for it but that-"

Draco hiccuped a few times,

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Draco collected himself and took a few deep breaths,

"Okay, Harry, I'm gonna go grab some tea for everyone. Harry, it's your turn."

Harry begrudgingly let go of Draco's hand and turned to look at his family. He began,

"I'm gonna be honest; I don't want to say what happened. And I'm not going to. I'm not gonna try and do the project-y thing Draco did. Being honest, I can't remember a lot of it. My brain's blocked it out somehow. But just please know that my aunt and uncle aren't good people, and every summer I wished every day that someone would come a swoop me up. Make the Dursley's pay for what they did. I don't like being touched, so please don't touch me unless I let you."

Everyone was silent, unsure of what to say. They hesitated to push farther, but bottling things up can't be good. 

Remus trod carefully,

"That's okay. We don't want to push you. But please...please tell us what was happening when you almost wiped your memory. And when you escaped Malfoy Manor."

Harry balled up his fist multiple times and looked away,

"It's hard to describe. It felt like I was being beaten again. Like I was back...there. In that house. It was so bad..."

Harry looked back up with wide eyes,

"It felt like the bad was so overwhelmingly...bad, that it wasn't worth sticking around for the good."

Draco reentered the room with a tea plate and enough cups for everyone. He quietly poured it out, and his eyes were noticeably let red and puffed. He passed a cup to Harry as the boy continued talking,

"As for after we escaped, when it gets to be too much, my body will just turn off. Like a cap off. Not letting anything else in, or I might just explode. I read some books about it, and I think it's called dissociation."

Draco nodded. Remus tilted his head to the side,

"Has this happened to you too, Draco?"

Draco nodded again as he took a sip of his tea,

"Yes."

Hermione squeezed her eyes tight and held her arms close to her body,

"Harry, can I hug you?"

Harry nodded.

He got launched back into the couch when Hermione pounced at him, enveloping him in a hug. Her frizzy hair got all in Harry's face, but he didn't complain. He hugged back, feeling overwhelmed by her love.

She pulled back and sat back with Ron, who sent a smile to his best friend. 

Kreacher popped into the living room with a crack.

"Master Draco, Kreacher has finished the meal Master Draco asked Kreacher to cook. It is nice to have a Pureblood back in the house, Master Draco."

Draco blinked a few times, taken aback by the house elf's statement. He stumbled,

"Oh-um, thank you, Kreacher."

"You're welcome, Master Draco."

Another crack and Kreacher was gone. 

"Is he always like that?"

Hermione sighed,

"Yes. Yes, he is."

Draco mumbled something only Harry heard,

"i left the manor but i still cant escape it all..."

Harry rubbed his arm comfortingly. Draco looked up and relaxed under Harry's gaze. He stood up from the couch,

"Well, I'm not letting Kreacher ruin this. Come on, let's go eat."

Draco strode out of the room with his head held high and posture perfect. Remus muttered,

"I don't understand how that fellow can be so chipper."

Harry absentmindedly answered,

"You learn. If you let every reminder getcha down, then you'll never be...up."

They walked out of the room to go eat. 

Yeah, sure, everything was still in shambles, but at least it was better than the before. And it'll get better. They know that now. 

**Author's Note:**

> They act a little "out of character", but they're not entirely emotionally stable in this one...so...I think they have an excuse...


End file.
